Sydney Saturdays

March in Sydney is normally a spectacular time of year, plenty of sunshine and not too hot to get out and about and be active. This week-end was no exception, Sydney turned on the weather, and after a fairly crummy summer where sunshine was a rarity we got out and made the most of it.

We started with breakfast at Sotto’s, after the first visit (see earlier post) it has pretty much become a compulsory Sunday morning activity, although this time I decided to meet my Mum there. It’s usual peacefulness was somewhat disturbed by the North Sydney Oval Saturday morning sport, and the nearby school’s open day, which meant the streets had essentially become a parking lot, and there were plenty of children, animals, parents and honking to ensure it didn’t quieten down, however not even that could spoil a table in the sunshine. The juices are freshly squeezed, choose your own mix, and always presented beautifully.

Fresh Juice @ Sotto on West

The double egg and bacon panini is a hit, the choice of spice pancetta instead of bacon (and your choice of sauce) spices up an old favourite, and has become the standard Sunday breakfast choice for us! I also managed to get a snapshot of the teacup/pot lights, according to the Sydney Morning Herald article on their counter, these are hand made, & very cute!

Teacup Lights @ Sotto On West

Cafe Interior – Sotto On West

In the afternoon we decided to jump on the bikes and head over the bridge for a late lunch, the plan was to head down to Opera Bar to enjoy the sunshine & views, although after a quick stop at the cycle shop (Cranks Bikes store North Sydney – can’t recommend them enough, always super helpful and happy to fix whatever you just broke!) to fix a broken pedal, time constraints and the crowds around circular quay meant we chose to stay around Walsh Bar, when on bikes, this area is much quieter and very much geared for cyclists with bike lanes and areas to ‘park’ your bikes. We chose to eat at Firefly, the original of the 3 sydney based wine bars, and also the smallest! Sitting on the balcony though, on a gorgeous sunny arvo, looking out over the boats with a glass of wine is pretty much perfection, they also didn’t question the gym outfits, joggers and helmets, which helped, & does make for an interesting mixed crowd with about half young trendies the other half dangling helmets from their tables, whilst gulping down water and sporting lovely glowing red faces!

View @ Firefly Walsh Bay

We chose a glass of Sauvignon Blanc each, based on the waitress’s recommendations, then also chose a couple of share plates on her recommendations, we were pleased we went with what she said, they were delicious and not necessarily what we would have selected. We started with Croquettes, which were small, yet good & filled with a surprisingly large chunk of the piquillo pepper, then selected the meatballs, the King Prawns with gazpacho & the salmon rilletes. The meatballs were good, meatballs aren’t really my thing, but they were moist and had a nice tomato sauce, would have been better with some bread on the side, the Prawn dish looked and tasted good, however the prawns themselves lacked a bit of flavour, again some bread on the side would have been great to mop up the extra sauce! The Salmon was a hit!

Salmon Rilletes @ Firefly Walsh Bay

King Prawns @ Firefly Walsh Bay

Later in the afternoon we had a hit of tennis at the Cammeray Tennis Courts, we had the courts booked for 6pm, so we enjoyed a lovely breeze and the sun beginning to set over the courts

Cammeray Tennis Club

That evening we headed to a friends birthday drinks at Treehouse in North Sydney, this wasn’t our first time there, but it worked perfectly well for the group, she organised a reserved outdoor space on the covered balcony, and booked a table for 8pm in case anyone wanted to have a sit down meal. Some sat down, others ordered some share plates and ate them on the balcony. The Treehouse has a good vibe, its pretty relaxed with a nice flowing space offering different things. The crowd is mixed with older people enjoying the restaurant and a younger 20-30 crowd in the bar area. The food is quite good, if a little expensive, and the drink offerings – Monteith’s cider on tap and jugs of cocktails available to share plus all the usual offerings. The breakfast at Treehouse is worth a trip, the Saturday brunch menu has some seriously tempting offerings and the setting is a bit more fun then your average breakky cafe, though be aware, it is closed on Sundays.